Christal Wagner Headshot

Christal Wagner

  • Lecturer, Dance
  • Outreach Coordinator, Dance

Education

BFA, Dance Performance & Choreography, UW-Milwaukee

Biography

Christal is an Alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee dance department (BFA) where she is also adjunct faculty. She is a screendance artist and has produced work as a cinematographer, performer, editor and director for Joe Goode, Josh Halverson, Maria Gillespie, Danceworks Inc, Milwaukee Dance Theatre Network, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, UWM Dance, The Saint Kate Arts Hotel, The Cactus Club, and Li Chiao-Ping Dance where she was a 2020 SEED Creation Fund grant recipient. Christal is the artistic director of Danceworks Performance MKE and has danced for Your Mother Dances, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, Dawn Springer Dance Projects, Skylight Music Theatre and spent 14 years as a company member with DPMKE. Christal is a cofounder of the music and dance trio Cadance Collective, co-creating pieces through processes where music and dance are worked on simultaneously through improvisational practices and original soundscapes. In 2020 Christal Wagner became the Saint Kate Art Hotel’s FIRST artist in co-residence. She is the recipient of 8 Wisconsin Jerry Awards for her work in musical theatre and has choreographed over 20 musicals in the city of Milwaukee. Christal’s mission is to support and elevate the voices of her community, collaborators, and fellow artists.

cwmoves.com

Accolades

  • 8 time Wisconsin Jerry Award Recipient, Choreography (2012-2019)
  • Seed Creation Fund Grant Recipient (2020)
  • Wisconsin Dance Council Choreography and Performance Award (2023)

Recent Work

Provenance: a letter to my daughter (2022) is a short dance film about a transnational adoptee’s personal experiences struggling with identity, belonging, and inclusion growing up in the Midwest of America. Directed and choreographed by Li Chiao-Ping, dancer Elisabeth Roskopf’s exquisite gestures and personal story reclaiming her heritage are captured beautifully by cinematographer and editor Christal Wagner.
Christal Wagner RECENT WORK
Christal Wagner RECENT WORK